Monterey Institute’s Incoming Fall Class Arrives from Around the World

New Students at Orientation.

August 24, 2010 - 12:00am

They arrived from Kazakhstan and Jamaica, Ecuador and Senegal, France and Japan, Ukraine and Australia. They lived, worked or studied previously in Russia and China, Brazil and Bangladesh, Rwanda and Norway, Dubai and Indonesia. Among their number are cancer survivors, Iraq War veterans, recent college graduates and parents with children.

They are the 386 incoming students attending orientation this week at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and they include citizens of 32 countries, speakers of 25 languages, and nine Fulbright scholars. They are both statistically notable and, in the context of this highly international graduate school, simply more of the same remarkable diversity that has for decades made the Monterey Institute a renowned training ground for future diplomats, non-profit leaders, U.N. interpreters and international entrepreneurs.

Of the 11 degree programs this group of incoming students had to choose from, though, none has generated more buzz in recent months than the Institute’s brand-new master of arts degree on Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies (NPTS).

CNS, the world’s largest research center devoted to combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction, celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. MonTREP conducts in-depth research, assesses policy options, and engages in public education on issues relating to terrorism and international security. According to CNS Director William Potter, the new degree program will help to fill an urgent need in many governments and international organizations to replenish an aging generation of analysts and policymakers knowledgeable about both policy and technical issues and proficient in foreign languages and area studies.

2 Comments

One of the factors that made my MIIS experience unique, was the diversity of people I found. Not only were people coming from different countries and cultures, but also from so many different backgrounds! I was impressed by my fellow students and their life experiences, and their sensitivity towards so many different issues! The friends I made at MIIS are still my lifetime friends!!

Incoming class, enjoy your time and MIIS, but make sure to extract as much as you can from it because there is so much to learn, at so many levels!!!

My daughter, Nelle Sacknoff,is an incoming graduate student this year. I would like to hear about school activities, speakers, and projects which relate to Middle East studies at the school. I have colleagues at the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. We are excited about the educational program of your Institute.
Thank you,
Eric J. Sacknoff,MD FACS
Assistant Clinical Professor, Urology
Harvard Medical School
Chief, Urological Service
Smyth County Community Hospital
Marion, Virginia 24354